SAN ANTONIO — The bats came alive in the fifth inning, as UTSA scored seven runs to propel it to a 14-7 victory against I-35 rival Texas State on Tuesday night at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners (9-7) saw their three-game losing streak come to an end, while Texas State (12-5) lost for the first time in its last eight contests.
UTSA was efficient with its bullpen only needing to use a pair of arms.
Andre Shewcraft tossed 2.1 innings to earn his third win of the season. The right-hander gave up two runs on five hits and recorded three strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Texas State’s Joe Powell pitched 1.1 innings in relief and was charged with the loss, his first of the spring. Powell gave up the go-ahead runs in the fifth on three walks.
UTSA timely hitting in the decisive inning. After both teams traded runs to tie the score at two, UTSA totaled five hits and drew three walks to bat around in the inning.
Texas State chipped into the Roadrunners lead in the seventh and eighth innings combining for five runs, three of which came off a three-run blast by Teddy Hoffman, his second homer of the night.
The final run count for the Roadrunners came late in the game with three runs in the seventh and two in the eighth.
The seventh inning saw eight Roadrunners step to the plate and included three hit-by-pitches. In the following frame, a two-RBI single drove in the innings only two scores.
Skyler Valentine had his fourth game of three hits in as many days as he went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs. Tyler Straub added a 3-for-6 performance with three RBIs and a pair of runs.
Hoffman and Jonathan Ortega each had four hits for Texas State.
UTSA will close out its seven-game home stand this weekend when it opens Conference USA play against Rice. The series is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday.